The Tale of a Little Prince
by chane
Summary: A prequel to my story "Treasures of the Sea" which is undergoing revisions and is on hiatus. 4-shot. Taking a peek into the life of the young prince of the Kingdom, Roderich Edelstein, before the whole mess began.


Story Stats

**Title**: The Tale of a Little Prince  
**Author**: Corvyie  
**Style**: Four Chapters, Prequel  
**Type**: Family, Friendship, General  
**Category**: Axis Powers: Hetalia

Chapter Stats

**Rating**: T  
**Warning**: N/A  
**Summary**: The beginning of our tale starts on the night of a dinner party. Roderich is allowed to waste time before the party begins. Character introductions part one.  
**Characters and Pairings**: The Edelstein Royal Family: Johann (Father and King), Therese (Mother and Queen), Astrid (Oldest sister), Roderich (Middle child) and Sebastian (Youngest); the multiple servants and employees of the family; sheep; an instructor; and mentioned Vash and Lili Zwingli.  
**Word Count (Story only)**: 1,905 Words  
**Date Written**: January 24, 2010

"**Arthur" Note:** Okay, so I thought "Treasures of the Sea" started just a tad bit fast. I don't much like starting off with the root of the problem immediately. Therefore, instead, I decided to put the story on a hiatus while I revise the first chapter because I wanted to make a quick ficlet about Roderich's and Arthur's lives before the whole mess, respectfully. I hope that I will have enough of a grasp on the story (yes, it is a delaying method for me) and the characters to write something a bit more decent.

I would include these into the story line, but this is like… the prelude into the real masterpiece, if you will, although I'm not calling it a masterpiece, 'cause I'm not the best writer out there. So it just needed to have its separate little beginner parts.

I decided the beginning should be sort of… fairytale-esque purely because I wanted to spice things up a bit. Also, I started a roleplay and it kind of influenced me as I wrote this. I'm going to shut up now and let you…

**Enjoy~! **

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**Part I – The Beginning of Our Tale… The Edelstein Castle**

Once upon a time… in the world there existed a beautiful nation. It spread across a vast amount of land divided into Kingdoms under the watchful eye of Kings and Queens.

Our story takes place in this beautiful nation. The nation in which dragons still roamed the earth and sea creature overturned ships with ease. A land where brave knights' roamed, handsome princes wooed the hearts of innocent girls and beautiful maidens stole away with riches, pirate lords who ruled with terror and the kings of kingdoms who ruled with influence.

It was a time of peace for the nation, rulers had long since been decided in the battles of the olden days and now everything was running smoothly, slowly building up their establishment over their Kingdom.

To the furthest point East of the Kingdom, bordering the ocean, there was a particularly large castle, home to the most wealthy and powerful King in the nation. His castle was twice as big as the others were and he ruled over twice the amount of people. He was well established, a good, strong leader of his people with a strong wife of royal backgrounds behind him and a family.

His name was King Johann Edelstein of the Edelstein Royal Family, married to Therese Edelstein, formerly Therese Hollein of the Kingdom next door.

They had three children, the oldest girl and two boys, but amongst these children one was particularly special and is the hero (or is it damsel in distress) of our tale. His name… was Roderich.

- - - - -

The dining room was alight by the sun, slowly making its way below the horizon, saying a slow goodbye to the Edelstein Castle. The silverware aligned neatly besides plates of the finest glass glittered in the late afternoon sun. The elaborate dinnerware was set up across a long table. The table was covered with a Chinese white silk tablecloth embroidered with spun gold. At each plate setting a finely carven wooden chair was set up, with one grand chair at the head of the table for the master of the household.

Young house cleaners wearing black dresses and white aprons; servants, butlers, and waiters in suits; cooks in pristine white uniforms with tall hats atop of large heads; finely dressed girls and decked out young men all bustled about the Castle, preparing everything. The young masters and ladies of the house ordered about those who worked for them and the house was full of the different voices of the Royal family and its servants. All the bustling and talking centered on the base of the cause of this chaos – the dining room.

Roderich surveyed the dining room table with monotony interest. Another dinner party, he presumed. It wasn't a grand event like his mother always proclaimed it was to be. It was often full of dull conversations, fake laughter and smiles and eating. There was nothing enjoyable about it. Often, all he had to do was sit and eat quietly, his head bowed and smile politely.

"Young Master," a maid spoke and he looked to her, she bowed curtsied, "The dinner won't begin for another few moments. And your mother has requested to see you."

"All right," he answered in his high child's voice, taking her rough hand, skin toughened by the housework with his own small and soft, never-worked-a-day-in-his-life hand.

Walking into the room where his mother waited, she was just finishing the touches on the centerpiece of the dinner, a bouquet. She was all smiles after choosing the perfect one, waving away the other arrangers with a bored hand and she scooped up the flowers one last time, inhaling their sweet scent before dismissing the man to place them on the dining room table. Spotting her son, her face broke into an even wider smile.

"Roderich," she trilled, dancing over to him. The maid quietly left them as she scooped him up into her arms, spinning with a delightful laugh.

Roderich's mother was a graceful woman, a beautiful woman with delicate features and a tall, petite figure. She has pale white skin and red, thin lips. Her cheeks dusted with rogue and her long chocolate hair tied back in a sophisticated bun at the nape of her long white neck. She was an elegant and beautiful, kind, caring woman. Roderich most closely resembled his mother.

"Darling, why don't you play outside for a bit? There's still an hour before you need to get ready," she touches his nose gently to indicate "you" and smiles again, warmly. His mother is a kind woman, affectionate. In addition, she cast her affection upon Roderich far more than his siblings did.

"All right, mother," he agrees, smiling back at her with childish enthusiasm. He never liked getting ready for parties early. When he got ready, in the pristine clothes that the maids set out for him, he always had to stay inside just in case he got them dirty.

"Good!" his mother cooed and set him on the ground again, ruffling his hair she smiled and raised a finger, her voice changing to sterner tones, "Remember, you only have an hour, and then you need to hurry back here and get ready for the dinner party, all right?"

Roderich nodded in compliance, "All right, mother," he agreed and he reached up to kiss her cheek, "I'll be back in one hour." He put emphasis on the two words, holding up a finger and his mother chuckled in adoration.

"Good boy, hurry now! I think I saw Vash playing in the fields just off the side of this road with his little sister!" she informed him with a smile. She knew how close the two were and she simply adored how attached Roderich was to Vash.

Roderich nodded and turned to run out the door, "Goodbye, mother!" he called as he raced down the halls. He barely heard the 'goodbye' that his mother called after him as he rushed out the front door beneath the legs of one of their servants carrying in what he could only presume was that night's dinner. A plump pig.

- - - - -

Once he made it past the door, he was about to set off down the hill when something stopped him.

"Damn it!" Roderich paused and turned spotted his younger brother, "Sebastian…" he muttered.

Sebastian is Roderich's younger brother by two years. Moreover, despite those two years, Roderich was painfully aware of how much stronger and often, as his father put it, better he was in comparison.

Sebastian was strong, he was a natural leader, tough and with confidence. He was also naturally bossy, but that was within his personality to be so. Unlike Roderich, Sebastian had no talent for the fine arts, what he knew was how to fight and how to lead. Sebastian was destined to become the Captain of the army, even though battles were rare to come upon.

It was simple why, really. Sebastian was the youngest and strongest of them and therefore, it was only logical that he become the Captain. Their sister most definitely could not lead an army and Roderich was simply incapable of such a job.

Sebastian closely resembled Roderich to some degree. But his hair was straighter and cut shorter than Roderich's, but not as short as the village boys. His hair was a degree darker, almost bordering on black and his eyes were a sparkling sapphire instead of amethyst.

Rarely Roderich saw his younger brother kneeling, but today was special. Last week he had surpassed his swordsmanship tutor and recently a new one was training him. One who was definitely showing Sebastian that he wasn't ready to go out into an actual battle.

"Get up off the ground! You do not lower your head to the enemy! Because it can easily be sliced off your shoulders!" shouted his instructor and Roderich watched as he dug the sword into the ground nearby his brothers head, "Take a break kid, and get a good rest tonight. The work hasn't even begun." He stated and then promptly left to go find the King, who owed him his money.

"Sebastian…" Roderich ventured, walking over to him cautiously. Bright sapphire eyes snapped up and glared at him.

"What do you want, Roderich?" Sebastian spat out, lifting himself from the ground to stand again, dusting himself off.

"Nothing," he smiled kindly, "I was just checking if you were all right. You are my younger brother, after all!" he sang, and ruffled Sebastian's darker brown locks with his right hand.

A low growl ripped from his throat and he shoved Roderich's hand away, blushing, and "Don't do that! I do not want your care! I can take care of myself!" he hissed.

Smiling a bit sadly, Roderich nodded, "All right then… then go inside and get ready for the party, huh? I bet father wants to hear all about your progress today." He commented and then turned to set off again.

"Yeah…" Sebastian muttered and began marching, he then sighed when he managed to put his right foot through the doorway, "Hey, Roderich!" he called, catching his older brothers attention, he blushed and quickly muttered, "Thanks for checking up on me," before rushing inside the house, slamming the door behind him.

Roderich smiled softly to himself and then set off again down the road.

- - - - -

It didn't take him long to reach his destination after that. There were no distractions, most villagers already having turned in for the day, settling in to eat dinner and relax with their families unless they were at the Castle preparing for the party. And soon enough the pastoral fields of green were within his sight.

Beyond the white gates of an enclosed area designed to keep sheep and other animals from wandering away, he spotted another familiar face. It was his sister, Astrid.

In Roderich's opinion, Astrid was the most beautiful girl throughout the country as well as the most untouchable besides his mother. Astrid was different from both of her younger brothers. She had lighter brown hair, bordering on being blond and it was waved like Roderich's, long and reaching her waist. Her eyes a bright Sapphire like Sebastian's, only with thicker lashes around their rims. Slender and of an average height with a voice that could sing the whole village into a blissful, never-ending dream.

"Sissy! Sissy!" he called, attracting his sisters' attention. She smiled and strayed away from the flock, one lone sheep following her, nuzzling her hand.

"Roderich, what're you doing here?" she asked, "Isn't the dinner party soon?"

"Yeah," Roderich muttered, "But mother told me I could play for a bit before then. Sissy should go and get ready now, though, because she takes forever!" he remarked, grinning a little.

"Oh, you," she sighed, ruffling his hair, "All right, I shall." She answered and then pointed in the direction of a field just beyond that which held the sheep, one full of flowers in which was simply that. A field of flowers for enjoyment. "Vash and Lili are playing over there, have fun little bruder, I'll see you tonight." She cooed and petted his head again.

Nodding, Roderich set off again until he could see the yellow of blonde hair amongst the yellow daffodils and his face broke out in another smile.

"Vash! Lili!" he called and rushed into the flowers.

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"**Arthur" Note: **So, it's not as good as I would have liked it to be, however, it's better than anything I thought I was capable of producing, in my opinion. I've yet to conclude what age the characters are yet other than Sebastian being two years younger than Roderich and Astrid being three years older than Roderich. Vash is a year younger than Roderich and Lili is a year younger than Vash.

Well, I would greatly appreciate if you inform me of any mistakes I made in here! Whether it be grammar, spelling or a remark regarding how I'm telling the story or how I'm portraying the characters. In regards to how I'm doing the storytelling and portraying them, I might not take all suggestions, but I'll consider it!

Well, thank you for reading and if you will, please review!


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